I was born and raised in the Chicago area, then graduated college, worked and lived in the world’s greatest city. None of us who called Chicago home thought we would ever see a champion in sports, much less a dynasty. Ok, we had an aberration in the ’85 Bears, truly the best football team in the history of the game. But that came and went in a nanosecond and Mr. Shula made sure this team would not be an undefeated team, like his champion team was. But we Chicagoans were never prepared for Michael Jordan. Six NBA titles! The best player in the history of the game! Entirely and absolutely dominant. It was simply beautiful to see a group of basketball players perform as if in a ballet, where each had his scripted roll to play. And did, to perfection. We fans went from expecting our teams to lose to knowing our Bulls would win. We became that certain and Mr. Jordan and company never let us down. Ever.
Don’t get me wrong. There have been great champions, such as the 2014 Spurs, who played possibly the most flawless basketball on earth. And I will always revere the Boston Celtics with the singular Bill Russell and an astounding supporting cast. But, truly, the Chicago Bulls of Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson are in a class all their own, or so I thought. Lebron made me wonder, at least for a time. But he took his show from Miami, where he and the Heat proved unworthy competitors of the Spurs in 2014, to Cleveland. But Lebron did no better in Cleveland, losing in the NBA finals again, this time to the Golden State Warriors.
Tonight I watched a symbolic, but otherwise meaningless, game between the Warriors and Cavaliers. Though the score seemed close, it never felt that way. Stephen Curry and company seemed liked they were playing a different, more energized and creative game against Lebron and his Cavaliers. Suddenly, Lebron looked old, yesterday’s news. Yet, he is such a great player. Are the Warriors and Curry that good? Possibly. It’s easy to think so. This team seems so revolutionary compared to the rest of the NBA.
Though only 6′ 3″, Curry’s a scorer…the jumper, driving the lane, an incredibly smart and gifted player. . .everyone loves this guy and rightfully so. He is a class act and allows all the everymen of the world to relate to sports. It is a special time in the NBA. That said, it is an awfully long way to go for Curry and his team to be considered in the same stratosphere as Russell’s Celtics or Jordan’s Bulls. I would be surprised if they got there, though they do indeed seem to be pulling away from the rest of the league. But I hope I’m wrong. I love how the Warriors play basketball. It is their own. If they win another two or three NBA championships, it will do nothing to reduce the Celtics or the Bulls. Great teams, no matter what sport, have their own identities, their own qualities. The Warriors need to win at least another two championships to be considered among the greatest. But they just may. And that would be a good thing for Jordan, Russell, all of us.